Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Part 162

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1388

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Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Something has been already said in reference to the church history of the township, but it may be supplemented by a very brief reference to churches in Oneida. On May 4, 1863, a Pres- byterian church was organized, under authority of the Presbytery of Schuyler, at the school house in District No. 3. In 1865, it was reor- ganized at Oneida. The congregation erected a house of worship, which was blown down in 1868 but soon afterwards rebuilt, and a par- sonage added. In all, Oneida has had five churches, three of which are still extant. The Lutherans organized a church there in 1863, with Rev. S. G. Abraham as pastor. It had once twenty-five members, but has ceased to exist. The Universalists developed some strength as the town grew, but their house of worship was burned in January, 1867. It was rebuilt, but was later destroyed by a tornado. The same storm lifted the Baptist meeting- house from its foundation, and neither of these structures was ever repaired. A Congregational church was organized ou December 22, 1852, by a council consisting of J. Blanchard, who pre- sided; Rev. Dr. Edward Beecher, Rev. Jeremiah Parker and others. A church building was erected in 1855 at a cost of about four thousand dollars, and the congregation has since built a parsonage, at an outlay of twenty-five hun- dred dollars. The first pastor was Rev. H. C. Abernethy, who remained in Oneida for ten

years. Rev. W. S. Pritchard is the present minister.

The Methodists formed a church organiza- tion, under the direction of Rev. R. N. Moore, but did not build a church until 1863. The structure then erected cost three thousand, five hundred dollars. Rev. L. P. Crouch was the first, and Rev. Mr. Graves is the present pastor.

The city supports an excellent graded school, which enjoys a well deserved reputation for the character of the work done. The building is of brick, two stories in height, with a basement of stone, and is heated by steam. It was erected in 1870, at a cost of fourteen thousand dollars. R. V. Field is the Principal, and the corps of assistants is composed of Misses Ella Rowe, Lizzie Talhot and Mary Gavin.

There are two grain elevators, one of which is owned and operated by G. W. Barnett, while the other (known as the Farmers' Elevator) is owned by farmers and conducted by L. B. DeForest, under a lease.

Banking facilities are afforded by the Oneida State Bank and the firm of Anderson and Murdoch. The former was incorporated under the State banking law In 1891, with a paid-up capital of $25,000. Its stockholders number twenty-three. A. D. Metcalf is President; G. K. Pittard. Vice President; and W. D. Patty, Cashier. The old Oneida Exchange Bank was a private institution, and was founded in 1857 by O. Sharp. He soon disposed of his banking business by a sale to W. L. Hubbard. The lat- ter removed to Chicago in 1867, and the bank passed into the hands of J. B. Conyers, who sold it, in 1872, to J. N. Conger. In 1877 it was bought by A. B. Anderson and Frank Murdoch, who have conducted it ever since under their firm name.

The people of Oneida are both enterprising and prosperous. Three times the business part of the city has been laid in ashes, and three times the courage of the citizens has proved equal to the task of restoration. Pleasant, well- cared for homes are numerous, and the in- habitants exhibit great interest in preserving the reputation for beauty which the place en- joys.

The history of journalism in Oneida is of especial interest. The first paper to appear was the Oneida News, which was started, in 1876, by a boy named Arthur W. Ladd, and the issue was "run off" on a three dollar press. In 1882 J. C. Montgomery began publishing the Oneida and Neighborhood News. In 1883

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T. B. Phillips bought this paper, and changed its name to the Oneida News. Three years afterward he recovered it to Montgomery, and subsequently it was discontinued. The Oneida Dispatch was founded by O. B. Kail and D. C. Porter in 1880. In 1882 Kail (who had bought Porter's interest in the business) began the publication of the Woodhull Dis- patch. In 1886, M. A. Chesly bought out Mr. Kail; and in 1894 he took B. J. Dunlap into partnership, and in 1895 the name again became the Oneida Dispatch. In 1897 Chesly and Dun- lap sold out to Burgess and White.

Various societies have lodges, or branches, at Oneida. The Masonic Order established its first lodge on March 26, 1860, and is in a flour- ishing condition. The lodge owns the fine brick building in which its handsomely furnished hall is situated. The present officers are: F. Murdoch, M .; John Anderson, S. W .; Albert Miller, J. W .; Frank McConchie, S. D .; Thomas Hosler, J. D .; A. J. Miller, Secretary; A. B. An- derson, Treasurer; and R. Mihoy, T.

The I. O. O. F. first appeared on October 15, 1857. The charter was surrendered in 1861, but the lodge was reinstalled June 3, 1874. The present officers are: O. L. Higgins, N. G .; Nels Newlander, V. G .; L. W. Ewing, Secretary; A. B. Anderson, Treasurer.

The order of the Eastern Star also has a flourishing lodge, chartered January 15, 1889, with twelve members. The present member- ship numbers thirty-five. The first officers were: Miss Kittie Brainard, W. M .; C. G. Graved, W. P .; Mrs. Eliza Hosler, A. M .; F. T. Prouty, Secretary. The present officers are: Mrs. J. B. Colton, W. M .; E. Marche, W. P .; Mrs. E. L. Miller, A. M .; G. L. Stephenson, Treasurer; W. A. Brainard, Secretary.

The Oneida Camp of the Modern Woodmen of America was chartered May 25, 1888, with nine members. This membership has been in- creased to eighty. The first officers were: A. McConchie, V. C .; G. E. Barnett, W. A .; Henry Clifford, E. B .; S. C. Whitcomb, C. The present officers are: H. W. Crane, V. C .; J. W. Talbot, W. A .; L. E. Olson, E. B .; W. S. Crane, C.

There is also a branch of the Home Forum at Oneida. The charter members numbered twelve, and the present membership is seven- teen. The officers are: G. L. Stephenson, President; S. C. Whitcomb, Vice President; F. Whitcomb, Historian; S. C. Whitcomb, Med- ical Examiner; A. R. St. John, Secretary.

JUDSON WRIGHT ALLEN.

Judson Wright Allen, son of Barber and Mary (Chappel) Allen, was born in Cayuga County, New York, June 14, 1830. Barber Al- len was born in Massachusetts, and was a sol- dier in the War of 1812. J. W. Allen received his education in Galesburg. His first effort at self-support was when, in the early pioneer days, as a teamster he hauled pork from Galcs- burg to Peoria. He afterwards bought a farm of four hundred acres in Ontario Township, part of which he later disposed of, and bought land near Oneida, to which he gradually added, until he owned a farm of 330 acres of improved land. Mr. Allen was married in Knox County December 4, 1856, to Nancy W. Kiger. Four children have been born to them: William L .; Mrs. Mary Mitchell; Mrs. Jessie E. Kourthour; and Mrs. R. Rose Brainard, who died at the age of twenty-one. Mr. Allen is a well informed and broad-minded man. Among his many in- terests, aside from nis duties as a progressive and up-to-date farmer, may be mentioned the subject of education, to the advancement of which he has given much time and attention. He is a member of the Congregational Church,. of which he was a trustee for twelve years. In politics, he is a republican, and was Supervisor for four years, 1882 to 1886, during which period the present handsome court house at Galesburg was erected. He has been Alderman of Oneida for twelve years, which is but one of the many evidences he has received of the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens.

HENRY WETMORE CRANE.

Henry Wetmore Crane, son of James W. and Cornelia L. (Wetmore) Crane, was born in On- tario Township, Knox County, Illinois, July 7, 1859. The family is of English descent, their history in this country dating back to early times in New England. The parents of James W. Crane were born in Connecticut, and set- tled, immediately after their marriage, in Oneida County, New York. James W. was the fourth child and second son in a family of six children. The family came to Ontario Town- ship in June, 1837, and settled on an unbroken prairie, where they made a farm, and where the father of James W. died in 1848, and the- mother in 1854. The parents of Cornelia L. Wetmore lived and died in New York State, where her father was a successful merchant. She came to Knox County about two years be- fore her marriage.

Henry W. Crane was the oldest son, and was educated in the Oneida High School, and in Knox College, Galesburg. He was married in Henry County, Illinois, September 25, 1882, to Carrie Wood Stickney; they have three children: Zina S., Mary Ann and James Henry. Mrs. Crane's parents were Henry and Mary (Wood) Stickney, old residents of Henry County, now deceased. Mrs. Crane was born in Henry County, and received her education in Knox College, Galesburg.

Mr. Crane was one of the organizers of the Oneida State Bank, and has ever since been

Joseph Fresher

G. E. Fredrick

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KNOX COUNTY.

on its Board of Directors and also a member of the Finance Committee; he is also a farmer, or, more especially, a manager of farms, as he rents his own farm and that of his wife, and resides in Oneida, of which place he has been a prominent citizen since 1888. He keeps his land in a high state of cultivation by rotation of crops, having always at least one-third of the area in pasture, or meadow, and taking a share of the crop instead of a money rent, has proved for him an element of success.

In politics, Mr. Crane is independent. He has been a member of the Board of Education, an Alderman and Mayor, to which office he was elected in 1895, and which, by re-election, he has held to the present time. He is a mem- ber of the Baptist Church of Ontario, and is a thoroughgoing, progressive, public spirited citizen.

JAMES WILSON CRANE.

James Wilson Craue, son of Zina and Harriet (Hall) Crane, was born in Marcy, Oneida County, April 20, 1829. His parents were born in Durham, Connecticut, and died in Knox County, the father aged sixty-three and the mother fifty-eight years. His paternal grand- parents were Frederick and Anna (Babcock) Crane, and on his mother's side, Luther and Harriet Hall, all of whom were born in Con- necticut.

Zina Crane, before coming West with his family in June, 1837, purchased three hundred and twenty acres of unbroken prairie land in Knox County, to which he added one hundred and sixty acres of timber land. In coming to Knox County he followed the example of Rev. George W. Gale, of Oneida County, and one of the founders of Galesburg. He assisted in the organization of Ontario Township, and was interested in educational matters, and with Charles F. Camp, now deceased, built the first school house near Ontario Corners. In politics he was a whig

James W. Crane came with his father to Knox County and became a farmer and stock- raiser. He attended the common schools for a short time, hut received the principal part of his education by his own efforts. He was mar- ried in Ontario Township, May 29, 1854. to Cornelia L. Wetmore, daughter of Jesse and Louise (Holmes) Wetmore. She was born in Oneida County, New York, September 5, 1833. They have three children, Henry W., now liv- ing in Oneida; Frank, a resident of Cummings, Traill County, North Dakota; and Carl S., now living at the old homestead.

In early times Mr. Crane drove his stock to Galena, thirty or forty days being required to make the trip. He at one time added one hun- dred and fifty turkeys to his drove of hogs which were killed and sold to the miners. It is said that Mr. Crane is the oldest resident of Ontario Township; he is certainly one of the best known and most influential farmers in Knox County. He has a farm of two hundred and forty acres of choice land, a fine residence, and convenient farm buildings. He has been

very successful in his business, and formerly had large land interests in North Dakota, which he sold to his son Frank, who resides in that State.

In politics, Mr. Crane is independent. He is an attendant of the Unitarian Church. He has traveled extensively in the United States, is broad and liberal in his views, and is greatly respected and honored wherever he is known.

JOSEPH FISHER.

Joseph Fisher, son of David and Jane (Mor- ris) Fisher, was born May 27, 1831, In Somer- setshire, England. His parents were of English birth, and came to Summit County, Ohio, when Joseph was three years old. In 1838 the family removed to Mercer County, Illinois, and in 1841 they settled in Clover Township, Henry County, where the father ran a saw mill. After the death of his father, and his burial in Andover Cemetery, which occurred in January, 1844, Joseph and his mother came to Knox County, settling first in Sparta Township, but later purchased a farm of eighty acres in On- tario Township, where the mother died, aged seventy-four years.

Joseph Fisher was educated in the common schools of Ohio and Illinois. He was married October 20, 1852, to Emily, daughter of Wood- ford Fisher, of Kentucky, who was an old set- tler of Knox County. She died November 15, 1888, aged fifty-four years, leaving an adopted daughter, Nellie.

Mr. Fisher was again married, October 30. 1890, in Knox County, to Elizabeth, daughter of Vile and Jane (Kember) Pittard, who came from England to Chicago in 1854, and in 1855 removed to Knox County, where they died in Ontario Township.

Mr. Fisher and his wife own eighty and one hundred and sixty acres of land, respectively, in tracts adjoining each other, making a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres. He has been a farmer all his life. He is a republican and has held several local offices. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher attend the Ontario Congregational Church, of which Mrs. Fisher is a member.

GUSTAY ERIC FREDERICKS.

Gustav Eric Fredericks, son of Charles and Inga Charlotte Fredericks, was born October 23, 1852, in the Province of Ostergotland, Sweden. His parents were both born in Sweden, his father in Ostergotland. He came with his parents to this country, reaching Knox County, Illinois, July 17, 1857. They lived two years in Galesburg, and then moved to Soper- ville. Henderson Township, where they resided on a timber farm from 1859 to 1867, when they removed to Log City, remaining there until 1870, then they removed to Ontario Township, where they bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres tor $13,000. In 1878 the parents removed to Altona, Walnut Grove Township. Gustav E. bought the farm on Section 11, ad- joining the old homestead, in 1896, where he now resides. The father was a very successful farmer, and owned five hundred and twenty

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acres of land. He lives in Altona, aged eighty- two years, respected and honored by all who know him. His wife died January 11, 1892, aged seventy-four years.

Gustav E. Fredericks was married in On- tario Township, February 26, 1876, to Ida Ma- tilda Walgreen, daughter of Nels P. and Johanna Walgreen, who were prominent among the farmers of that vicinity. The chil- dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Fredericks were: Mrs. Clara A. Swanson, Mollie C. O., Fanny C., Jennie, Emma R., Minnie, Henrietta, Hilda C., Clarence N .; Herbert A. and Carl E., both de- ceased.

Mr. Fredericks has been one of the most progressive farmers in the county. He bought the first self-binder, and the first traction en- gine in Ontario Township. He is considered one of the best threshers of grain in that part of the country, having been engaged in the business since he was fourteen years of age. He has threshed the grain on some farms in his neighborhood for twenty-seven years, and has made a careful study of all kinds of farm implements and machinery.

Politicaly, Mr. Fredericks is a republican, and has been Road Commissioner twelve years. In religious belief he is a Lutheran, and has been a trustee of the Lutheran Church at Al- tona.

JAMES HAMMOND.

James Hammond was born July 7, 1824, in Medina County, Ohic. His father, Theodore Hammond, was born near Hartford, Connecti- cut, and his mother, Rebecca (Farnham) Ham- mond, was also a native of Connecticut; her grandfather was John Farnham, of the same State; she died November 4, 1824. Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Hammond moved to Summit County, Ohio, in 1810, and Mr. Hammond re- moved to Illinois in 1844. The grandparents of Mr. James Hammond were Jason Hammond, of Bolton, Connecticut, and Rachel (Hale) Hammond, of Glastonburg, Connecticut.

Mr. James Hammond was reared on a farm, and was educated in a log school house at Hammond Corners, Bath, Ohio. At the age of twenty years he came to Knox County, Illinois, in the company of Royal Hammond, a cousin of his father. He located in Ontario Township, and herded sheep. In 1850, he bought one hun- dred and sixty acres of land of Knox . College, in Section 33, Ontario Township, and converted the tract into a model farm on which he has spent most of his time for the last half century. He was married in Ontario Township, October 7, 1847, to Susan Porter Powell, daughter of John and Maria (Wilson) Powell. Mrs. Ham- mond was born near Utica, New York, and in 1836 came to Knox County with her uncle, Charles F. Camp, a prominent and enterprising citizen. She died March 16, 1897, aged seventy- five years. She was an estimable woman, a member of the Congregational Church, in On- tario Township, which she helped to establish; she was charitable, a good neighbor, and a lov- ing, faithful wife and mother. The children

born to Mr. and Mrs. Hammond were: Park Henry, deceased; Charles Camp, deceased; Ed- win Powell, deceased; Ella M .; Fannie C .; and Ira E. Fannie C. graduated from Knox College in June, 1881.

Mr. Hammond has been a hard worker, fre- quently doing two days' work in one, and he soon became an influential citizen. In 1867 he built a most substantial dwelling of brick, with double walls, selecting the wood for the inside, oak, ash and curled walnut, from timber cut on his own farm. Much of the furniture was made to order, and the whole establishment is the pride of the county as well as of the town- ship. He has never speculated, but has been uniformly successful in his operations, and he attributes his good fortune to frugality and hard work. He raised fine stock, and had one of the first herds of Galloway cattle in the county. He has been a prominent figure among the farmers of Knox County for many years. He was Supervisor several years and has held different school offices. In politics he is a republican, and in his church relations a Congregationalist.

Mr. Hammond has traveled extensively in the United States, and spent two and a half years in Tehama County, California, where he owns a fruit farm.

HUGH M. MITCHELL.

Hugh M. Mitchell was a native of Ohio, and was born in Harrison County, May 25, 1820. His father was John Mitchell, who lived in his early years in Washington County, Pennsyl- vania. He was a man of strong intellect and was educated in the common schools of his native State. At an early date, he went to Ohio, and married Margaret McGee, a native of Jefferson City, Ohio. Both parents were of Irish descent, and after marriage settled in Harrison County, when it was almost an un- broken wilderness. tiere they lived long and industrious lives, and at last, transformed the wild land on which they had settled into a fine farm. They raised a family of eleven children. Mr. Mitchell was a soldier in the War of 1812.

Hugh M. Mitchell partook of some of the marked characteristics of his father. He was endowed with a good intellect and a sound judgment. He was educated in the common schools, showing the same perseverance there as was exhibited in the business affairs of his after life. He remained on the home farm until he was twenty-four years of age, when he married and settled on a forty-acre tract of broken, hilly land. By his industry and economy, he prospered, and saved a suffi- cient amount of means to purchase a large farm, on which he moved in 1847. To his farm- ing, he added, in 1853, the business of keeping a tavern for the accommodation of travelers, which proved to be very lucrative. Here a small village sprang up, and after the Post- office was established, he was appointed Post- master, holding the office for twelve years.

Mr. Mitchell was not pleased with this double-headed business of keeping an inn and

Fb. M. Mitchell

James Hammond

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KNOX COUNTY.

farming. He had a great fondness for the farm. So he resolved to engage wholly in that occupation. He sold out and came to Knox County in the Fall of 1864. He bought a farm in Sparta Township, where he lived until 1871, when he removed to Ontario Township. Here he purchased a farm of about three hundred acres, making his landed possessions in the two townships of Sparta and Ontario about six hundred acres. At the same time he owned a nice residence in Oneida. Thus from small be- ginnings, he became one of the wealthiest farmers in Knox County.

Mr. Mitchell was no ordinary man. Endowed with a good intellect and trained in the habits of industry and economy, he soon rose to a con- dition of affluence. His business judgment was unerring and his attention to duty never flagged. The path of rectitude he saw before him, and from it, he never turned aside. He was just and generous, and lived a life that be- comes a man. His religious faith was Presby- terian. Both he and his wife were members of that church. Politically, he was a Jeffer- sonian democrat. He firmly believed in the principles of that party.

Mr. Mitchell was married March 19, 1844, to Nancy Nash. Her parents were farmers in Pennsylvania, and when she was but a child, removed to Harrison County, Ohio, where they lived and died. They had a family of seven children, consisting of two sons and five daugh- ters. The wife of Hugh M. Mitchell, was a most estimable woman and was born August 9, 1820.

To Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, were born six children, five sons and one daughter. Three sons and the daughter are deceased. John R. is a resident of Oneida, Illinois, and owns a farm in Ontario Township; Samuel P. resides on a farm north of Oneida; Hugh Parks was a farmer in Gage County, Nebraska, for a num- ber of years, but later was in the employ of the Iowa Central Railroad Company; and J. Calvin was the founder and editor of the Keithburg Times. The greatest legacy that Mr. Mitchell left his children was a good education. They attended either Knox or Monmouth col- lege. He died November 2, 1898.

JOHN RAYMOND MITCHELL.

John Raymond Mitchell, son of Hugh M. and Nancy A. (Nash) Mitchell, was born August 13, 1847, in Harrison County, Ohio. The Mitchell family were emigrants from the North of Ireland, and of Scotch descent. Hugh M. Mitchell was born in Harrison County, May 26, 1820, and was married, March 14, 1844, to Nancy A. Nash, born in the same county, and daughter of William and Hannah (Drummond) Nash, of Pennsylvania. He came to Knox County in the Fall of 1864, and located in Sparta Township, a mile and a half east of Wataga. He resided there from 1864 to 1871, and then moved to Section 23, Ontario Town- ship, where he had a large farm. He after- ward went to Oneida, where his death occurred November 2, 1898. The paternal grandparents

of John R. Mitchell were John and Margaret (McKie) Mitchell, both born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and settled in Harrison County, Ohio, when the country was a wilderness.

The education of John R. Mitchell was begun in the common schools of Ohio, and completed in Wataga, Illinois, to which State he came with his father in the year 1864. He was brought up a practical farmer, and owns a very fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Ontario Township. He was married in Oneida March 23, 1876, to Anna Jennett Muir, daughter of Thomas and Martha J. Fin- ley (Heagy) Muir. They have four children, Vida May, Maurice Finley, Anna Myrtle and Nannie Grace. Mr. Muir was born in Creeton, Scotland, December 12, 1826, and emigrated to Knox County, Illinois, in 1839 with his mother and stepfather, Samuel McCornack. The family settled first near Knoxville, where they had a saw mill. Mr. Muir was a clerk in the store of John Johnston, a well known mer- chant of Knoxville. He was married October 24, 1853, lived in Nebraska City, Nebraska, a year, and returned to Oneida, where, after an active and useful life, he died, aged fifty-eight years. He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church at the age of twenty-five; a Sunday school superintendent, and leader of the choir many years. His children by his first mar- riage were Anna Jennett and Thomas F. By a second marriage, to Mrs. Sarah Hutchinson, there were two children, Sarah Louisa and Mary Ella.

In politics. Mr. Mitchell has been a repub- lican since 1869, casting his first vote for Gen- eral Grant, and is a firm believer in republican principles. For many years he has been an active member of the Presbyterian Church, and has, for a number of years, taken especial in- terest in educational matters in Oneida. At present Mr. Mitchell rents bis farm and quietly enjoys the results of his previous labor.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Part 162

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1388

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1388